G’Day everybody and welcome back to my final telling of the tale of Max the Road Warrior. Max Rockatansky was an Australian police officer in the time after a terrible war resulted in a lack of resources and a collapse in societal behaviour. The Outback became even more lawless and biker gangs roam and pillaged in an attempt to get “black gold” or Juice for their vehicles. In what was left of the suburban areas folks tried to live as normal but it became ever more difficult. Max took his young family out to have a picnic one day but unfortunately he ran across one such biker gang. This gang had been investigated/pursued by the police including Max and his colleague friend, Goose, and in the action Goose was brutally killed in a bike crash. This damaged Max psychologically and tried to find comfort with his family with the picnic….then the confrontation occurred. Max was pushed over the edge….
Max was driving his family to the countryside when he suffered a flat tire. He found a salvage yard and whilst bartering to get a new wheel his wife and child wandered off to look at the scenery. The biker gang turned up and there was a confrontation and Max’s wife and son were brutally attacked and killed. Max lost it and went on a crazed one man crusade to find the gang and gain vengeance. And he used his vehicle, the Pursuit Interceptor as a weapon. So I based my Max inspired saber on that vehicle, this is “Max Interceptor”….
As this hilt is modelled after a police car I made sure it was a tough utilitarian design with automotive detailing. The saber is solid with a very distinctive emitter and pommel. You will notice that the hilt is also a lot more black than the multicoloured Pursuit Interceptor I posted a picture of above. This saber is based on the car AFTER Max made some modifications. He emptied the boot/trunk to install larger fuel tanks, then added a new sleeker radiator grille and headlights…..then there was the Supercharger block on the famous V8 engine!
The Pursuit Special Interceptor and on the right, the mighty V8!
So, as you will have worked out, I modelled the emitter to represent the mighty engine block and supercharger. I gave the saber a black paint job but retained the yellow, red and blue stripes to hark back to the fact this used to be a police cruiser. The handle itself has a 3D modelled texture to provide MAXimum grip during combat. And finally, the pommel also features some 3D texturing with what appears to be tire treads….and that’s because the pommel is made up from the Interceptor’s rear wheel! Here’s the next gallery and some close ups….
The emitter has quite a bit of detail modelled into it, including the drive shaft socket for the radiator fan (this forms the actual emitter mouth). Above and below are rows of bolts that hold the upper and lower halves of the cylinder block together. Along the sides you can see the channels that indicate the row of four pistons that form the V configuration. The “power bulge” or inlet for the supercharger on top of the emitter also acts as one of the activation switches for the saber. Max famously boobytrapped his car so vigilantes and enemies couldn’t steal his ride, and so too is this saber rigged. It can be set to activate either by pressing the Supercharger OR by twisting the pommel cap or a combination of both ….very nasty if you tried to switch it on incorrectly as you’ll blow the saber up! Not very Jedi like I know but it is very Max-like.
And this vehicle carried Max through the Wastelands of Australia till it was finally stolen then destroyed in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It was his home as he travelled and encountered the Toecutter gang, Bartertown and the tribe of Tomorrow Morrow people. And maybe just maybe….out on the road Max is wandering still with a For Tyeth saber by his side.
That just about brings this telling to an end and this Mad Max inspired series. Thanks so much for checking it out and please take a look at the others I posted in recent weeks. Also thank you for all the positive comments about my Uhura and Nichelle Nichols inspired tribute last week, it meant a lot to me to know I did a good job. However that isn’t the end, I still have many more designs and prop models I have built so please call back to see those in upcoming posts. Till next time…..
“Max Interceptor” saber is a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by the movie franchise Mad Max . The design, 3D model and renders were created by For Tyeth/FTSabersite and are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2022. “Mad Max 3 Beyond Thunderdome” is a Warner Bros/Universal Pictures movie directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie. “Max Rockatansky”,, “Thunderdome” and all other names, logos, images and related material are currently owned Trademarks/©Copyright of Warner Bros/Universal Pictures 2021.
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